Green your business
Meet your sustainability goals and reduce costs
There are several programs to help businesses meet their sustainability goals and reduce costs, while improving efficiency.
Incentives
There are several organizations that offer incentives to offset the cost of making your business more sustainable.
Energy
Electricity Utility Programs
- Electricity Retrofit Incentives: Save on Energy’s Retrofit Program offers incentives for a range of upgrades including high-efficiency lighting, ventilation, chillers, motors, fans and more.
- Lighting Rebates: Incentives are available for small businesses to upgrade to energy-efficient lighting. Improved lighting can lower operating costs, enhance customer experience, and support more attractive product displays. Learn more about the Small Business Lighting Program.
- Demand Response: Demand Response programs encourages businesses to shift their electricity use from peak hours to off-peak hours to reduce demand on the grid, while reducing your energy costs.
Natural Gas Utility Programs
- Industrial Solutions: Enbridge Gas’ Industrial Custom Solutions and Incentives Program helps industrial customers identify natural gas-saving opportunities and provides incentives for implementing.
- Commercial Custom Retrofit Program: Work with an Enbridge Gas Energy Solutions Advisor to identify natural gas-saving opportunities. Enbridge Gas will cover up to 50% of eligible project costs.
- Savings by Design Program (Commercial and Multi-Residential) offering:
- Sustainable design expertise, at no cost to you.
- Use live energy modelling to evaluate the impact of design options.
- Receive a comprehensive report of energy-saving recommendations and key outcomes.
Training and resources
Training
Both Save on Energy and Enbridge Gas offer incentives of up to 50% on training programs that can help build your employees’ energy expertise.
Transportation
Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Ontario. There are resources to provide guidance and offset the costs of greening your fleet:
- Partners in Project Green (PPG) offers a free online Futureproof Your Fleet Resource Hub. Vehicle resource guides provide guidance for fleet managers to help plan and deploy new fleet technologies.
- Electric Vehicles: Transition your fleet to electric vehicles. Learn more about the electric vehicles on the market and incentives by visiting Plug’n Drive, a local non-profit committed to accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles.
- Green Economy Canada offers 50% back on the cost of EV chargers up to $100,000, EV Charger Incentive Program.
- Canada Infrastructure Bank: The Charging and Hydrogen Refuelling Infrastructure Initiative provides financing to the private sector to share in the risk of charging and refuelling infrastructure, by aligning repayment with usage levels.
Encourage employees to commute more sustainably — Smart Commute offers tools and resources to support and incentivize cycling, walking, carpooling, public transit, and alternative working arrangements (e.g., remote work) as sustainable options for commuting.
Water
Halton Region provides water and wastewater services to the Town of Milton. By conserving water, you’re also conserving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Halton Region: Commercial and industrial ratepayers can apply for a partial exemption on their water bill’s wastewater surcharge by diverting a portion of their water consumption away from the sanitary sewer.
Conservation Halton: Provides technical and financial assistance to commercial landowners to achieve their environmental and stewardship goals through the Water Quality and Habitat Improvement Program – Commercial Grants.
Resources
Guidance, tools, and online resources are available to help you meet your sustainability goals.
Corporate engagement
Help improve your Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies, or Corporate Social Responsibility mandates with these tools:
- Carbon Calculator Tools: Assess your business’s annual carbon footprint. Carbon Fund Business Calculator. Carbonzero Business Calculator. Tree Canada Carbon Calculator.
- Make a plan: Develop a plan and set a target for how your business will reduce its emissions.
- Encourage employees to commute more sustainably: Smart Commute offers tools and resources to support and incentivize cycling, walking, carpooling, public transit, and alternative working arrangements (e.g., remote work) as sustainable options for commuting.
Sustainability expertise
It serves as a one-stop shop for acting on your sustainability goals. No matter the size or sector of your company, the hub provides action-oriented materials from subject matter experts to guide tangible sustainability action.
Provides a cost-effective, practical, and hands-on approach to help organizations of all sectors and sizes take action on climate change and integrate sustainability into their operations. It supports businesses in all parts of Canada. Members benefit from both one-on-one support and the power of a peer community across the country to advance their sustainability goals.
Waste
Waste has a major impact on the environment—from single-use plastics ending up in Oceans, to food waste contributing to methane emissions, and the environmental impact of landfills in Ontario.
Following reduce, reuse, and recycle practices in your business operations can reduce your impact.
- BDC Waste audit: Carry out a waste audit at your business to identify opportunities for improvement. Business Development Canada (BDC) provides useful guidance for businesses.
- Divert: Invest in private waste collection services for recycling and organic composting. Review the Government of Canada’s Inventory of Recycling Programs in Ontario to get started.
Connect with us
Whether you’re launching, investing or expanding a business, the Economic Development team is here to support your business needs.